Home | Leslie's Portfolio

Hello, my name is Leslie.
I'm so excited to connect with you!

I have primarily worked in outdoor education as a sailing instructor, youth programs manager, skiing instructor, and volunteer with Girl Scouts of Western Washington. Through project—and inquiry-based learning, I hope to inspire students to continue engaging with the world around them.

I am the proud National American Miss Washington 2025. As a state pageant titleholder, my mission is to prioritize community, challenge stereotypes, and advance National American Miss's mission of Growing Confidence.

I am passionate about outdoor & environmental education, sustainable living, community building, political lobbying, social media & online marketing, and creating a network of world-oriented people.

About Leslie

Leslie as an Educator

Leslie as an Writer

Leslie's Pageant Platform

Learning the Bowline Knot

This photo from 2023 shows me at The Center for Wooden Boats teaching high school students how to tie essential sailing knots in the floating outdoor classroom. Knots are often one of the first skills they are introduced to when teaching sailing. Seeing students learn knots informs me how students interact with challenges and allow them to build confidence as they learn each knot.

Counting the Tree Rings

This photo was taken in March 2025 at Islandwood. After an art lesson and a story about trees, students noticed a fallen tree on the trails the following day. The facilities team was able to cut it to clear the trail for use. After wondering how old the tree was, several students decided to start counting the rings to investigate further. This led to more discussions about trees, what causes them to weaken or fall, and what happens once they start decomposing. Seeing the student's continued interest in trees, we later pulled out the field guides to learn more about the different types of trees at Islandwood.

Inky Trees Activity

The inky tree art activity is great for allowing students to explore how abstract art can represent our natural world.
Through this activity students use a straw to blow around the ink on the page. Students create their own tree, which we later use to showcase the more-than-human kin we meet throughout the week at Islandwood.
This activity creates avenues to remind students to explore and notice throughout the week to later sketch into their tree scene.

Hello, my name is Leslie. I'm so excited to connect with you!

Hello, my name is Leslie.
I'm so excited to connect with you!